NEW RELEASE
Book Title: The Sorcerer’s Gambit (The Ring of Worlds, Book 2)
Author: C.S. Harris
Publisher: A New Reality Publishing
Cover Artist: Christopher S. Harris
Release Date: April 25, 2024
Genre: Urban fantasy, epic fantasy, polyamory
Tropes: Lovers reunited after a long separation, heroes
Themes: Coming together, being free, self-discovery, making a life
Heat Rating: 2 - 3 flames
Length: 93 000 words/ 337 pages
It is not standalone story and ends on a cliffhanger. Book 3 comes out this summer.
Love, Longing, Great Magic, and a Fat Orange Cat.
Alex, Imara, and Sirenī thwarted the Unified Government's relentless edicts and fled their homeworld of Gaea to seek refuge elsewhere in the Ring of Worlds. Hunted by the elite squadrons of Zeta Force and the Tèng Empire's Dragon Guard, the Three encountered a new problem as soon as they arrived on Earth: Jack Carter, the man tasked with killing them. Carter expected to kill the Three or die trying, but instead, he traveled along with them. The four strangers must settle into a new life on their adopted world with the people they first met: Jordan McInerney and Richard Bryson.
Maria McInerney, Jordan’s grandmother, helped Alex, Imara, and Sirenī decades before when they briefly stopped on Earth during their quest to defeat Sogma. Meeting Jordan is like coming full circle, and the travelers work to settle into their new life. While adjusting to Earth, the people of Gaea quickly realize that their grand reunion was merely the beginning of their journey. Not everything on Earth is as it seems, and the dark magic of the necromancer has yet to manifest.
Please note:
The central narrative follows a group of main characters engaged in a polyamorous relationship. Initially, the relationship comprises one man and two women, evolving to include an additional man, forming a balanced quartet where each individual shares a deep, equitable connection with the others. Although the story is rooted in the genres of epic and urban fantasy, rather than romance, it includes moments of intimacy that encompass a spectrum of orientations and identities, including interactions among women, men, and supernatural beings such as vampires. Additionally, the narrative features a secondary character who identifies as non-binary. The same gender relations are blatant.
“Carter says those two people have been following us since we left the house,” Jordan whispered to Imara and Sirenī as she pretended to browse the women’s clothes. “He added that if you don’t do something about it, he will.”
“I know,” Imara said placidly. “They’ve been talking about us. I think they’re also flirting, but I’m not certain.”
Jordan watched Imara turn her gaze to Sirenī; she swore she could feel a conversation between them even though neither said a word. After a few seconds, Imara smiled and glanced at the suspected spies. The man looked to be in his forties, while the woman seemed younger.
She was an athletic-looking natural blonde, clearly of Scandinavian extraction, and had bright blue eyes. They weren’t as luminous as Alex’s, but they had that icy look that so many people found alluring.
“We’ll handle it,” Sirenī assured Jordan. “I’d prefer not to make a scene. Muscles probably isn’t the most discreet at things like this.”
***
Drëndi breezed by in feigned excitement as she looked at a shirt that, Brent thought, would flatter her lithe, fit form.
Contemplating Drëndi’s fitness made him think of his own, which was poor. Watching the jacked fellow who’d gone into the dressing room made him think about his health. Brent wasn’t obese and out of shape, but he wasn’t as fit as his partner, either. She took her health more seriously than he took his, but maybe it was time for him to change that.
Fabric rustled nearby. He looked up from the shirt he was pretending to contemplate and froze for an instant as he stared into the sharp eyes of one of the two women. She stood two steps away, studying him.
Damn it! How’d she get so close?
***
Drëndi flinched and clapped a hand to her cheek. It felt like someone just flicked her! She looked around and saw one of the women they’d been surveilling next to Brent. The woman raised a hand and beckoned haughtily, and Drëndi slunk over, still rubbing her cheek.
“Did you do that?” she asked the stranger.
The PID agent was more curious than upset. The woman stood still and appeared to study Drëndi and Brent. She noticed that the stranger’s pupils didn’t contract or dilate, but was that odd? Walmart’s lighting wasn’t great.
The woman spoke; her voice was calm and strangely resonant. Drëndi looked at her partner and wondered if the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, too.
“I did. I’m curious why you’ve been following us. I’ve heard you two talking about us since you were out in the parking lot.” She paused, then added, “And Carter noticed you following us in your vehicle when we left the house.”
“Huh…” Brent grunted.
He looked at Drëndi, and she knew he was thinking the same thing: if the stranger had heard the two agents talking from such a distance, her hearing was well beyond the average.
“That’s some sharp hearing you have,” her partner observed.
Drëndi looked at him like, Really, Brent? He shrugged with a small, crooked smile.
“You have no idea,” the woman said dryly. She narrowed her dark eyes slightly. “We’re not being secretive, you know. My name is Imara Inanna. My companions are Sirenī Adamma and Jack Carter. Our Earthen companion is Jordan McInerney. Now, why are you following us?”
I'm an artist and author who's been crafting stories since my childhood. My debut series, 'The Ring of Worlds,' is inspired by my love of high-fantasy and science fiction. When I'm not writing, I enjoy gaming, reading, and exploring new worlds—real and imaginary.
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